The St Clair ROW is not as well designed, is slowed down by frequent stops in comparision, is not ramp-free wheelchair accessible (not subway-style level boarding, not even with new streetcars), it does not run train consists (chained vehicles), it doesn't use modernized transit priority like the one used in Europe.

The Kitchener-Waterloo system is being designed with much better transit priority, much larger stop spacing for high performance, catenary operation rather than trolleypole operation, slightly higher (double-curb-height) platform for perfectly level subway-style boarding, train consist operation (2 LRV vehicles daisychained). St. Clair has none of the above, and does not use modern transit-priority systems. St. Clair is one of the more LRT-like streetcar routes, but it is quite legacy and not as accessible.

Hamilton LRT is going to use a similar system to the median sections of the ION LRT.